My guest today is an Irish writer, poet, critic, and podcaster. Born and raised in Dublin, she began writing seriously as a teenager, studied English, Media and Cultural Studies at IADT, and later completed a Master’s in Creative Writing at NUI Galway. Her early work included the poetry collection Follies and Not Lost, a book of essays about emigration written after she moved to San Francisco in 2012.

Since returning to Ireland, she has published a series of acclaimed novels, including Spare and Found Parts and Other Words for Smoke, which won Teen and Young Adult Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. Her 2025 horror novel Eat the Ones You Love was followed by a shortlist for Author of the Year, and she is now the 2026 Arts Council Writer Fellow at Trinity College Dublin. Alongside her fiction, she writes about games for The Guardian. Her new horror novel, Strange Is the Light, is out now, and she is currently working on another book, about video games, titled Everything Not Saved.

LINKS

Sarah Maria Griffin – books & socials

Sarah Maria Griffin – official website

Sarah Maria Griffin – Instagram (@sarahgriffski)

Sarah Maria Griffin – Substack

Sarah Maria Griffin – writing about games for The Guardian

Strange as the Light (out 8 September 2026)

Strange as the Light – Waterstones

Strange as the Light – Titan Books

Strange as the Light – Bookshop.org UK

Earlier novels

Eat the Ones You Love – Waterstones

Other Words for Smoke – Waterstones

Sarah's Perfect Console

EarthBound (SNES, 1994) – Wikipedia

EarthBound – Nintendo Switch Online

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask – Wikipedia

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – Nintendo

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – Wikipedia

Night in the Woods – official site

Night in the Woods – Steam

Wandersong – official site

Wandersong – Steam

Other references mentioned

Disco Elysium – Steam

Chicory: A Colorful Tale – official site (Greg Lobanov, also made Wandersong)

826 Valencia – literacy non-profit, San Francisco

Dublin Youth Theatre

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – Waterstones

Rock, Paper, Shotgun – games journalism

Glenn Moore – Button Boys podcast

Next week's guest

Chris Cantrill – Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show winner 2026 (Rewilding)

Chris Cantrill – Chortle profile

Saturday Night Live UK – ITV

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Diver is a British journalist, editor, and author whose career has moved fluidly between music criticism and video games writing, always with an eye for subculture, history, and stories beyond the mainstream. He began at the music website Drowned in Sound, where he rose to become content editor, before going on to work with Clash and contribute to publications including Kerrang! and Rock Sound.

Later, he turned increasingly to video games, writing for outlets including Edge and Kotaku - as well as heading up teams at VICE Gaming (later Waypoint) and GAMINGbible - and bringing the same curiosity and critical energy to games culture, retro hardware, and the history of the medium. Alongside his journalism, he has written six books on video games and edited several more, covering subjects from indie games and esports to Sonic the Hedgehog and Final Fantasy. His latest book, Aliens: The Video Games, continues that fascination with the way great pop-cultural worlds mutate and endure through interactive form.

LINKS

Mike Diver – website & book

Mike Diver – Aliens: The Video Games: An Unofficial Guide (Waterstones, out 30 August 2026)

Aliens: The Video Games – publisher White Owl / Pen and Sword

Alien games discussed

Alien: Isolation – Steam

Aliens: Dark Descent – Steam

Aliens: Colonial Marines – Wikipedia

Aliens: Infestation (Nintendo DS) – Wikipedia

Aliens vs. Predator (Capcom, 1994 arcade) – Wikipedia

Alien: Rogue Incursion – Steam

Alien: Isolation 2 – official announcement trailer

Mike's Perfect Console

Sensible Soccer (1992) – Wikipedia

Sensible World of Soccer – Wikipedia

Streets of Rage 2 – Wikipedia

Streets of Rage 4 – official site

Snatcher – Wikipedia

1944: The Loop Master – Wikipedia

Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (includes 1944) – Steam

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – official site

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Steam

Other games and references mentioned

Drowned in Sound – Wikipedia (music website where Mike began his career)

Vice Gaming / Waypoint – Wikipedia

Aftermath – independent games journalism site

Respec – independent games journalism site

Mina the Hollower – Yacht Club Games

Yuzo Koshiro – composer of Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack, Wikipedia

Hideo Kojima – Wikipedia

Evercade – retro gaming handheld

Next week's guest

Sarah Maria Griffin – official website

Eat the Ones You Love – Sarah Maria Griffin's latest novel (Waterstones)

Sarah Maria Griffin – writing about video games for The Guardian

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Soren Johnson is an American programmer and game designer whose work has helped shape the modern strategy genre. After earning a master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University, he joined Firaxis Games, where he worked as both a programmer and designer on Civilization III before going on to lead the design of Civilization IV, one of the most celebrated strategy games yet made.

Over the years he has contributed to a wide range of projects, including Spore, Dragon Age Legends, and Offworld Trading Company, bringing a distinctive blend of historical insight, systemic thinking, and player-driven design. Today he is the founder and design director of Mohawk Games, where he recently led the development of the acclaimed historical strategy game Old World. Alongside his development work, he continues to explore the craft of game design through his long-running blog and podcast, both of which are titled “Designer Notes”.

Soren Johnson – website & podcast

Soren Johnson – Designer Notes blog

Designer Notes podcast – episode archive

Designer Notes – Apple Podcasts

Designer Notes – Spotify

Mohawk Games & Old World

Mohawk Games – official site

Old World – official page

Old World – Steam

Old World – GOG

Old World – Epic Games Store

Old World: Empires of the Indus DLC – Mohawk Games

Soren's Perfect Console

Pinball Construction Set (1983) – Wikipedia

M.U.L.E. (1983) – Wikipedia

Seven Cities of Gold (1984) – Wikipedia

Legacy of the Ancients (1987) – Wikipedia

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999) – Wikipedia

Other games and references mentioned

Civilization IV – Wikipedia

Civilization III – Wikipedia

Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004 remake) – Wikipedia

Civilization Revolution – Wikipedia

Offworld Trading Company – Steam

Spore (2008) – Wikipedia

Balatro – Steam

Vampire Survivors – Steam

Schedule I – Steam

Lethal Company – Steam

Bennett Foddy – personal site

Danielle Bunten Berry – Wikipedia (designer of M.U.L.E.)

Trip Hawkins – Wikipedia (founder of Electronic Arts)

Jake Solomon – Wikipedia

Game Developers Conference (GDC) – official site

Simon's book

Trial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Bookshop.org UK)

Trial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Amazon UK)

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is a Jamaican game developer and studio founder. Based in Kingston, he is the founder of Spritewrench Studios, a narrative-focused micro studio he built after realising, in his final year at university, that he did not need to leave Jamaica or join a hundred-person team to make games of his own.

Inspired by that possibility, he began creating small projects, taking part in game jams, and steadily turning Spritewrench from a name into a company. His work is shaped by a commitment to cultural representation that reaches beyond cliché, and by a wider effort to grow the local scene through the Jamaica Game Developer Society, where he has worked to connect creators and open up pathways into the industry. Now, with Duppy Detective Tashia, a point-and-click mystery rooted in Caribbean folklore, he is bringing that vision to a wider audience.

Glen Henry & Spritewrench Studios

Spritewrench Studios – official website

Spritewrench – itch.io (all games)

Glen Henry – Instagram (@spritewrench)

Duppy Detective Tashia

Duppy Detective Tashia – Steam

Duppy Detective Tashia – itch.io

Jamaica Game Developer Society

Jamaica Game Developer Society – official site

JGDS – YouTube channel (Crash Course series)

Glen's Perfect Console

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Wikipedia

Viewtiful Joe (GameCube, 2003) – Wikipedia

Spelunky Classic – free download (Derek Yu's site)

Spelunky Classic – Wikipedia

Hades – official site

Hades – Steam

Hollow Knight: Silksong – official site

Also mentioned

Bastion – Supergiant Games

Transistor – Supergiant Games

Indie Game: The Movie – official site

Black Voices in Gaming – community Discord

Rami Ismail – game developer and advocate

Chase Bethea – composer (Duppy Detective Tashia)

Bubblexity – BChaotic (Jamaican student dev team, Steam)

TIGSource – indie game development forums

Global Game Jam

Next week's guest

Soren Johnson – designer of Civilization IV

Old World – Mohawk Games (Steam)

Simon's book

Trial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Bookshop.org UK)

Trial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Amazon UK)

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amelia Tait is a British journalist and author whose work has made her one of the sharpest observers of modern life online and off. As a freelance writer, she has built a reputation for following the strange, revealing currents of contemporary culture — writing about the internet, and remarkable people for publications including The New Yorker, The Guardian, Wired, and the New York Times.

Her reporting is often drawn to the places where technology and absurdity collide, finding the human story inside subjects other people might dismiss as niche or ephemeral. Now she has turned that same wit and curiosity to fiction with her debut children’s book, Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller, a funny, fast-moving adventure about a girl bouncing through history while trying to survive friendship drama and the general embarrassment of being thirteen.

LINKS

Amelia Tait – website & writing

Amelia Tait – official website

The Waiting Room – Amelia's Substack newsletter

Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller

Lily Tripp – Waterstones (Waterstones Children's Book of the Month, June 2026)

Lily Tripp – Amazon UK

Amelia's Perfect Console

Theme Hospital (1997) – Wikipedia

The Simpsons: Road Rage (2001) – Wikipedia

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Wikipedia

The Sims Bustin' Out (Game Boy Advance, 2003) – Wikipedia

Stardew Valley – official site

Stardew Valley – Steam

Other games mentioned

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo

The Simpsons: Hit & Run – Wikipedia

Amelia's journalism – selected pieces

Are Disney Adults the Happiest Debtors on Earth? – The New Yorker

Amelia Tait – articles on The Guardian

Next week's guest

Duppy Detective Tashia – Glen Henry / Spritewrench Studios – Steam

Spritewrench Studios – itch.io

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Trickey is a British comedian whose work blends sharp writing, physical comedy, and, in his new show, one of the more extraordinary Edinburgh Fringe stories in recent memory. By day he works as an accountant; by night he has been building a reputation as one of the most promising young voices on the live circuit, with appearances across the UK, a Chortle Student Comedy Award nomination, and a Best New Show nomination at the Leicester Comedy Festival.

Last year, his sold-out Edinburgh debut, Don’t Count on Me, marked him out as a rising talent, earning strong reviews and an enviable word-of-mouth reputation. Since then, he has appeared on the BBC’s Funny Parts and returned to the Fringe with a new show shaped in part by the strange and unexpectedly dramatic events of last summer.

LINKS:

James Trickey – follow & tickets

James Trickey – Instagram (@jamestrickey_)

James Trickey: Split – Edinburgh Fringe 2026 tickets (Pleasance Courtyard, 9:25pm, 5–30 August)

James Trickey: Split – Avalon press release

James's Perfect Console

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Wikipedia

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered – Steam

Halo 3 – Wikipedia

Undertale – official site

Undertale – Steam

God of War (2018) – PlayStation

God of War (2018) – Wikipedia

The Last of Us Part II – PlayStation

The Last of Us Part II – Wikipedia

Bristol comedians to watch

Abi Clarke – comedian and content creator

Alex Kitson – Chortle profile

Jessie Nixon – Chortle profile

Ted Milligan – British Comedy Guide

Pravanya Pillay – PBJ Management

Also mentioned

Alfie Brown – comedian

Glenn Moore – at the Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh Fringe

Pokémon Crystal – Wikipedia

Super Mario Advance (Game Boy Advance) – Wikipedia

League of Legends – official site

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pierce Brown is an American novelist whose work has made him one of the defining voices in modern science fiction. After a restless childhood that saw his family move repeatedly and left him passing through more than ten schools, he began writing in earnest just after high school. After years of rejection, he found his breakthrough with Red Rising, the first instalment in an epic saga that fused classical tragedy, Roman myth, and space opera into an international bestseller.

Since then, the series has grown into a global phenomenon, winning a devoted readership for its high-stakes politics and fierce emotional intensity. Alongside his work as a novelist, he has embraced gaming culture—contributing to the Red Rising board game and speaking openly about his love of everything from StarCraft II to Mass Effect and Cyberpunk. Now, as the series is being reissued in special tenth-anniversary editions, a new generation of readers is discovering the world that made his name.

LINKS

Pierce Brown – website & books

Pierce Brown – official website

Red Rising – the complete saga

Red Rising: Sons of Ares – prequel comic series

Pierce Brown – Instagram (@piercebrownofficial)

Red Rising board game

Red Rising – Stonemaier Games (designed by Jamey Stegmaier)

Pierce's Perfect Console

Command & Conquer (1995) – Wikipedia

Command & Conquer: Red Alert – Wikipedia

Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun – Wikipedia

Shogun: Total War (2000) – Wikipedia

Total War series – official site

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn – Wikipedia

Black & White (2001) – Wikipedia

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – Wikipedia

Books and other references mentioned

Plato's Republic – Wikipedia

Antigone by Sophocles – Wikipedia

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Wikipedia

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card – Wikipedia

The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

Gattaca (1997 film) – Wikipedia

Gustave Doré – illustrator, Wikipedia

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Robertson is an Australian comedian, writer, and performer who has carved out a singular space between stand-up, theatre, and video games. Beginning his career on the UK and international comedy circuit, he became known for his high-energy, unpredictable style—before creating The Dark Room, a live-action text adventure where audiences shout commands, face absurd deaths, and attempt to survive his chaotic world.

The show has toured globally, sold out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and grown into an online phenomenon, streamed to millions and adapted into digital formats. Alongside this, he has written and performed a wide range of solo shows and interactive work, creating a unique space where comedy, games, and audience participation collide.

John Robertson – website & show

John Robertson – official website

The Dark Room – live show information

The Dark Room – live dates and tickets

The Dark Room – Edinburgh Fringe 2026 at the Gilded Balloon

The Dark Room – Dark Room Deathstravaganza at Leicester Square Theatre, 22 November

John Robertson – Twitch (Robbotron)

John's Perfect Console

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive, 1992) – Wikipedia

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo – Wikipedia

Wii Sports Resort – Wikipedia

Sid Meier's Civilization V – Wikipedia

Hitman: World of Assassination – official site

Hitman: World of Assassination – Steam

Other games and references mentioned

Caves of Qud – official site

Caves of Qud – Steam

PAX West – Seattle gaming convention

Switch Sports – Nintendo

Next week's guest

Pierce Brown – official website

Red Rising – Pierce Brown's debut novel

Support the show

My Perfect Console – episode archive

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andreas Thorstensson is a Swedish entrepreneur, former professional gamer, and studio founder whose career has moved from the early days of esports to the challenge of rebuilding one of the world’s biggest sports genres from the ground up. Born in Stockholm, he began programming as a child and later emerged in competitive Counter-Strike under the name ‘bds’, becoming world champion in 1999 and earning a reputation as both a player, and builder of tools, platforms, and communities around the game.

In 2001, he co-founded SK Gaming, helping turn esports into a more professionalised business, and later spent a decade in technology and startups. In 2021, frustrated by the state of football games, he returned to development to found GOALS AB, a Stockholm studio with an ambitious aim: to give football the video game it deserves. Its first title, GOALS, is a free-to-play, cross-platform football simulator built around a gameplay-first, fully skill-based philosophy.

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abigoliah Schamaun is an American comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster whose open-hearted style has made her one of the most distinctive voices on the UK stand-up circuit. After cutting her teeth in the clubs of New York, she moved to Britain and there steadily built a reputation as a charismatic performer, becoming a popular headliner on the live comedy scene. Alongside her stand-up, she has appeared on shows including Pointless Celebrities, Captive Audience, Outrageously Funny Comedy, and I Live with Models.

More recently, through the podcast Neurodivergent Moments, which she co-hosts with Joe Wells, she has spoken with warmth and candour about ADHD and neurodivergence,. Now, that podcast has inspired a new book, Neurodivergent Moments: Sex, Sunscreen, Turtles and How (Not) to Pack a Suitcase, a funny, personal collection of essays out now.

Abigoliah Schamaun – official site & socials

abigoliah.com – official website

Neurodivergent Moments – the book

Neurodivergent Moments: Sex, Sunscreen, Turtles and How (Not) to Pack a Suitcase – Linktree (buy links & live events)

Neurodivergent Moments – the podcast

Neurodivergent Moments podcast – Acast

Neurodivergent Moments – Patreon (bonus content)

All British Comedy Explained – the podcast

All British Comedy Explained – official site

All British Comedy Explained – Apple Podcasts

All British Comedy Explained – Spotify

Abigoliah's Perfect Console

Super Mario Land – Wikipedia

Mortal Kombat (1992) – Wikipedia

Beat Saber – official site

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo

Other people and references mentioned

Joe Wells – co-author and podcast co-host

Sea of Thieves – official site

Penelope Keith – Wikipedia

Nerd of Mouth podcast

Support My Perfect Console on Patreon

Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole

Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.